Talkin’ Soil Health Forum Celebrates Local Leaders

March saw the highly anticipated Talkin’ Soil Health Forum in York gather experts, farmers, and industry leaders to discuss the crucial role soil health plays in the future of agriculture.
Home 🞂 Newsroom 🞂 Talkin’ Soil Health Forum Celebrates Local Leaders

NACC NRM’s Regional Drought Resilience Planning Project Officer Yvette Hollings joined in on the fun, which consisted of insightful presentations, research updates, and exciting developments in sustainable agriculture. The event platformed an incredible array of speakers, each with their own specialised knowledge, research and experience to share.

From left: Yvette Hollings (NACC NRM), Bonnie Jupp (Perth NRM), and Victoria Bennett (South Coast NRM)

Associate Professor Hanabeth Luke of Murdoch University shared findings from the Soil CRC’s National Social Benchmarking Study. With a special focus on WA’s Northern Wheatbelt, including the shires of Coorow, Dalwallinu, Dandaragan, Moora, and Wongan-Ballidu, the study explored the factors driving decision-making for farmers and landholders. These insights are invaluable for understanding the social drivers behind agricultural practices, with a follow-up study slated for 2026. For those interested, the full report on the Northern Wheatbelt focus area is available here.

Michael Crawford, CEO of the Soil CRC, also took the stage to highlight ongoing research projects, particularly those that aim to deliver actionable knowledge directly to farmers. One of the standout initiatives, Visualising Australasia’s Soils, is designed to provide crucial data and insights into soil health, aiding farmers in their decision-making and ensuring the longevity of agricultural practices. More details can be found here.

UK Nuffield Scholar, Tom Scrope, broadened the discussion by sharing his international research into knowledge-sharing structures and initiatives that have successfully scaled up soil health practices across the UK, EU, South America, and Australasia. His work emphasizes the importance of collaboration and learning from each other on a global scale. Read more here.

The keynote presentation by Su McCluskey, Australia’s first Special Representative for Australian Agriculture, offered a compelling look at how Australia is positioning itself on the global stage. Su outlined the national and international frameworks guiding us towards more sustainable agricultural practices, underscoring the significant role soil health plays in both business success and broader global outcomes.

In addition to these impactful presentations, Bridget Watkins was celebrated as the new Regional Soil Coordinator with SoilsWest at Murdoch University. Bridget will play a pivotal role in supporting WA farmers with best-practice soil management strategies that promote soil health and drought resilience. Learn more about her work here.

The forum also recognized the outstanding contributions of Brady Green, who was named the Northern Agricultural Region’s Soil Health Champion for 2025. Brady, a fifth-generation farmer from Yuna in the Northern Agricultural Region, has become a leader in sustainable farming practices. His farm serves as a hub for community collaboration, research, and hands-on learning, making him a role model for others in the industry. We are proud to showcase his journey and commitment to soil health and sustainability through the Soil Health Champion Video. Congratulations, Brady!

Through discussion and reflection, this year’s Talkin’ Soil Health prompted Yvette to share some of her personal takeaways:

  • ESG and Sustainability – There is growing emphasis on promoting ESG (environmental, social, and governance) principles, however engaging farmers with these concepts can be challenging. A more targeted approach is useful in demonstrating the direct benefits of sustainability practices to farmers, particularly in terms of productivity, long-term financial stability, and generational farming success.
  • Language and Broad Terms – The term ‘sustainability’ can hold different meaning depending on the context and audience and is often seen to be too broad to be immediately actionable for farmers. To truly make an impact and incite action, we must focus on specific aspects of sustainability, like soil health, that resonate directly with farmers’ needs and goals.

With a National Soil Strategy and ongoing research efforts, Australia is at the forefront of soil science and sustainable agriculture initiatives. While there is still much work to be done, the advancements highlighted at the forum underscore the significant progress being made. We look forward to continuing the conversation about soil health and sustainability, and we can’t wait to see the impact of these initiatives on the future of agriculture in Australia.

This year’s Talkin’ Soil Health Forum not only showcased the ongoing efforts to support sustainable practices but also highlighted the collaborative spirit of the farming community. With leaders like Brady Green and Bridget Watkins paving the way, the future of soil health in Australia looks brighter than ever. Stay tuned for more updates and join us in celebrating the progress being made toward healthier soils and a more sustainable agricultural landscape.

Sustainable Agriculture Facilitators are supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.

Yvette Hollings – Regional Drought Resilience Planning Project Officer

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In 2020-21 I talked about ‘raising the bar’. In 2021-22 we worked on setting the bar on fire. Over the last 12 months, the team at NACC NRM has not stopped.

The Sustainable Agriculture team has extended the program’s reach through collaborations with grower groups in the regions. Specifically, the Beyond Reasonable Drought project and Grower Group Alliance – South West WA Drought Innovation Hub – Geraldton Node project. The Beyond Reasonable Drought partnership with grower groups supported farmers across the region to improve the environmental sustainability of their agricultural production and drought resilience. The outcomes of this project have been consolidated through our successful Expression of Interest to the South West WA Drought Innovation Hub, with support from grower groups across the region, to host the Geraldton Node of the Hub. The program continues to focus on working with agricultural networks to share technical expertise and provide opportunities that will improve land management practices in agriculture across the region.

The conservation outcomes of ranger teams have expanded through work on several land tenures. Maintaining Heritage sites such as Willi Gulli, Racecourse Paddock and Buller River has long been a priority. During 2021-22, the teams have increasingly focused on threatened species and ecosystems.

To this end, Western Mulga rangers have improved management across 19,000 ha for the conservation of Malleefowl through firebreak and access management. They completed the maintenance of water holes and supported the monitoring of over 90 Malleefowl mounds.

Similarly, the Kwelena Mambakort Aboriginal Corporate ranger team have contributed positively to Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo populations by installing artificial hollows and habitat restoration.

All ranger teams have collected native seed, propagated native plants for restoration, and planted native vegetation in key locations across the NAR. Seed collection provides valuable industry experience and has facilitated the planting of over 100,000 seedlings during the year.   

In September 2021, the NACC NRM team delivered the WA Threatened Species Forum, held in tandem with the National Malleefowl Forum. Given the impact of COVID and the timing of this event, having more than 100 delegates from all over Australia was a significant achievement. The two Forums brought together 12 events over five days and featured 14 local artists, 25 businesses and 36 youth participants.

Following the successful relaunch of our updated NARvis, NACC NRM was invited to help lead a significant piece of strategic planning work for the region with Mid West Development Commission and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. With funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, the consortia delivered a Regional Drought Resilience Plan covering the shires of Northampton and Chapman Valley and the City of Greater Geraldton, along with significant technical analysis of drought vulnerability for the South West land division. The development of this plan also included extensive community consultation to ensure that local knowledge and technical advice guided the development of priorities for action.

This planning work links to existing NACC NRM on-ground projects, including Beyond Reasonable Drought and the Chapman Catchment Collaborative regeneration project.

It was a busy year for events with face-to-face events becoming commonplace again. During 2021-22 we hosted events in Gingin, Moora, Dalwallinu, Cervantes, Jurien Bay, Walkaway, Nabawa, Perenjori, Kalannie and Morawa. We supported events in Karakin, Thundellara, Perenjori, Paynes Find, Wubin, Cataby, Warradarge, Northampton, Yuna, Dalwallinu and Dandaragan.

We also supported on-ground works throughout the region, including at the following locations Yuna, Dalwallinu, Dandaragan, Merkanooka, Goodlands, Kalannie, Bunjil, Yardarino, Canna, Kondut, Latham, Kadathinni, Nabawa, Red Gully, Sandy Gully, Waddy Forrest, Devils Creek, Perenjori, Bowgada, Ellendale, Wandana, Namban, Hill River, Warradarge, Gillingarra, Regans Ford and Moonyanooka.

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This year we have launched a new Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The RAP Working Group consulted widely and developed an Innovate RAP which Reconciliation Australia approved in March 2022. The activities to fulfil these commitments are now in full swing.

Sadly, at the end of 2021, we farewelled former NACC NRM CEO Shelley Spriggs, who lost a long battle with cancer. Shelley was an inaugural inductee to the NRM Leadership Honour Roll. I will always be grateful for her guidance and no-nonsense approach, not to mention her passion for life.

While we have said farewell to some, we have welcomed many new faces across all programs, including our Administration team. We have also hosted a school-based trainee from Nagle Catholic College who has been working towards a Certificate II in Conservation and Ecosystem Management. This trial position has been very successful, and we look forward to making this opportunity available again in 2023.

During 2022 we have taken on new projects that align with our organisational and program objectives, and we have successfully completed some great initiatives that support continued conservation and sustainability outcomes. I want to thank the whole team who continue to go above and beyond for the organisation and each other proving their ongoing commitment to our purpose and our values.